Abstract

This case explains the different steps of success and failure it took a Japanese family business to prosper during different times and under different situations, analyzing the specific conditions of being a Japanese family business. It covers questions regarding strategic decision making and succession, as well as expansion and future direction of the company. This case requires student to understand the different business environment that is Japan, regarding funding, business negotiation, long time relationships, trust between business partners and tradition. This is combined with a second type of special circumstance that is the family business regarding work ethics, hierarchy, different types of power distribution and general complications of combining family and business. It describes major events in the company’s life such as the creation or dismantlement of offices in different location as well as major deals and crucial turning points such as in 2007 he achieved this, getting huge support in terms of national and international promotion, as well as ease for large loans from top Japanese banks. Or in 2008 L DESIGN was invited to AMBIENT, and international exposition in Frankfurt. From there they reached profitable agreement with shops in London, Shanghai and Taiwan, some remaining to this day. It describes competition, as the ceramics market has been a very stable one for the past decade, with few entrants but still need to be addressed. It finishes describing how Masao loves ‘monozukuri’, the pride and tradition of hand-made products, the fusion of product and piece of art, the story of the production, and the message that he product transmits, and how he can fuse this with a prosperous business.

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